Instruction - Black & White

This is a book which is filled with both photographs
and descriptions of the technique to create photographs. I took
a hard-cover copy on a week long trip to photograph parts of Ireland,
and was very glad to carry the book with me and read it. Ansel did
use a view camera for many of his most famous photos; I use medium
and small format, myself. Even though Ansel used a view camera,
with its associated movements, the book makes an effort to describe
technique as it applies to small and medium format cameras. This
effort reached its goal for me. I got a lot of enjoyment out of
reading this book, and practical information, too. The basic, straight-forward
clarity of the writing in this book would make it a good read for
anyone with an interest in photographic technique, from rank beginner
to seasoned pro. One technique I enhanced from this book was the
use of a high camera position. Ansel took many of his photos from
a tripod which was mounted on the roof of his station wagon. One
of the benefits of such a location is the "semi-helicopter"
look to the photos. The foliage is more interesting from this height,
and the viewer can see more than he would be able to from ground
level.